Video : Seven killed in bus crash

[Da Qiao]

Saturday October 30, 2010

Seven killed in bus crash

By RASHITHA A. HAMID, STEVEN CHIEW, M. KUMAR and SHAUN HO
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KUALA LUMPUR: Seven people were killed and 39 others injured in a bus accident at Genting Sempah. The accident, which happened at 7.50pm last night, involved a group from the 4B Youth Movement, Kampung Siong, Kedah, said Selangor traffic chief Supt Che Hussein Omar. “Seventeen were seriously injured while the remaining 22 suffered minor injuries,” he said. “Two people were thrown out from the bus.” He added police were investigating the driver for reckless driving.

Fatal accident: The damaged bus after it was put upright, following the deadly accident along Jalan Genting Sempah Friday night. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star

The group of 44 had chartered an express bus from Baling for the trip. It is learnt that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle before it hit the road divider and overturned several times at KM38 of Jalan Genting Sempah, some 300m from the Karak Highway.

At press time, the dead were identified as Muhammad Amirul Mohamad, 13, Muhamad Khairy Muhammad, 16, Mohd Firdaus Rosedi, 16, Mohamad Yussuf Akhif, 16, Mohd Ridzuan Husin, 17 and Mohd Fahmi Mustafa, 17. The co-ordinator of the trip, Ustaz Mohd Zaidi Mohd Sufian, 28, died on the way to Selayang Hospital.

The driver and co-driver escaped with injuries. The group was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Genting Highlands where they had spent the night. The dead were sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. The injured were brought to the Bentong, Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and Selayang hospitals. The co-driver said he was asleep when the crash happened. “When I got up, the bus was rolling,” he added.

 

[Da Qiao]

Teenage survivors share horror of accident


Saturday October 30, 2010

Teenage survivors share horror of accident

KUALA LUMPUR: It was the first time the teenagers were heading out of their hometown in Baling on an excursion. A tragic bus accident, however, killed six of them and the coordinator of their group, at Genting Sempah. Mohd Shazwan Mohd Nor, 16, from Kg Baru Baling, said survivors crawled out of the bus through the broken windows. “We couldn’t help our friends because some of them were trapped and we were in pain ourselves,” he said last night at the HKL. “It was the first time all of us were going to KL.”

Concerned: Ahmad Shabery (right) speaking to media after visiting the injured victims at Selayang Hospital.

Mohd Zairul Hafizat, 13, who was sleeping in the bus during the accident, said he woke up when the bus hit a section of the divider after taking a corner too sharply. “It overturned onto the other side of the road,” he said, adding it was drizzling at the time. Zairul’s brother Mohd Hafiz, who was sitting at the back of the bus, injured his arm and back.

All the teenagers, from the villages of Kg Baru Baling, Kg Pokok Setul and Kg Lalang, had arrived at Genting Highlands at 8am yesterday morning and were on their way to Kg Baru Subang to stay the night at a homestay before returning to Baling today.

Those admitted at the Selayang Hospital are Muhammad Fais Nasharuddin, 18, Ahmad Iswal Abd Halim, 15, Mohd Shamsuri, 15, Mohd Ajril Azizi Azhari, 15, Mohd Akram, 19, Mohd Hafifi Yahya, 19, Mohd Safwan Md Moktar, 20, Hafizudin Onan, 16, Muhammad Syakur Sulaiman, 19, Faiz Syazwan Azlan, 18 and Mohd Azfar, 18.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who visited the victims at the Selayang Hospital, told reporters that the ministry wanted a thorough investigation to be carried out by the police. He also expressed condolences to the families of the deceased adding that the ministry would help to send the bodies back to their hometown for burial.

Bentong MP and Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, in expressing his sadness over the accident, said stern measures have to be taken to reduce accidents especially in ensuring that drivers adhere to the speed limit. “This is a very shocking accident. We must cultivate good driving habits. There are no two ways about it,” he said.

 

[bumblebee]

Driver has never had a valid licence, Operator gave inferior bus


Sunday October 31, 2010

Driver has never had a valid licence, Operator gave inferior bus

KUALA LUMPUR: Shock turned to utter anger for many when it was learnt that the bus driver involved in an accident at Genting Sempah which left seven dead has never had a valid driving licence. He only had a learner’s licence but was blacklisted 13 years ago. Family members of those who died also want to know why a bus of inferior quality was used to ferry the group from the 4B Youth Movement in Kedah, when the operator had promised them a bus in good condition.

Other developments:

> Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha has ordered a probe, adding that he wants the driver to be charged and the employer to take full responsibility for the tragedy;

> The driver initially told police he had lost his licence, but a check with the Road Transport Department showed that he did not have one, says Selangor Traffic and Public Order chief Supt Che Husin Omar;

> A survivor says the bus air-conditioning system was faulty and the engine “sounded weird”; and

> The Health Ministry is considering a plan to provide air rescue service for accident victims, says minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

 

[bumblebee]

Bus driver had no licence


Sunday October 31, 2010

Bus driver had no licence

By M. KUMAR
[email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: The driver of the bus involved in a fatal accident at Genting Sempah has never had a licence to drive. He only had a learner’s licence but was blacklisted in 1997, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said in a a statement yesterday. “What makes me angry is that the bus operator had employed a driver without a licence. “This driver must be charged in court and his employer must take full responsibility,” he said.

Seven people were killed and 39 injured in the Friday accident. Kong has ordered the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to investigate the track records of the driver and the bus operator, as well as work with other related authorities to take them to court. “I want a full investigation to be carried out on the bus operator and stern action must be taken if they are found guilty,” he said, adding that bus operators should be held responsible for their drivers.

Kong said initial investigations showed that the bus belonged to a charter bus operator from Kuala Lumpur. “JPJ is also looking into why the bus was painted to look like a tour bus when it was in fact a charter bus,” he added. Selangor Traffic and Public Order chief Supt Che Husin Omar said the driver initially told the police that he had lost his licence, but a check with JPJ showed that he did not have one. The driver, who is receiving treatment for a broken leg at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, has been detained and is being investigated under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving and causing death.

Supt Che Husin said that along with checking the black box and the driver’s records, police would also investigate the bus operator. The accident involved a group from the 4B Youth Movement, Kampung Siong, Kedah. The group was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Genting Highlands. Husin Hamid, 54, the father of Mohd Ridzuan, 17, who was also killed, said those responsible for the accident must be dealt with by the authorities.

 

[bumblebee]

Seven victims, one big grave


Sunday October 31, 2010

Seven victims, one big grave

By G.C. TAN
[email protected]

BALING: The seven people killed in the bus crash at Genting Sempah on Friday were laid to rest in a mass grave at the Kampung Baru Muslim cemetery in Mukim Siong near here. Thousands of people, including outsiders, came for the funeral, which began at 2.30pm yesterday and ended at 4.30pm.

Prayers were held at a nearby mosque before the bodies were taken to the burial site. There was a downpour before the funeral started but it slowed to a drizzle by the time it began. Kampung Baru 4B chief Ahmad Shukri Ahmad Nawawi, 36, said he was the co-ordinator for the trip but was not able to make the trip at the last minute as he had to attend a course in Port Dickson.

Sombre moment: Villagers filling red soil to the seven coffins at Kampung Baru in Mukim Siong Saturday. — G.C. TAN / The Star

“The trip was to allow the students to have fun at the Genting Theme Park followed by sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur. The group began its journey at 11pm on Thursday and was scheduled to return to Kedah before midnight on Saturday,” he said. His son, Amirul Izzuddin, 13, also went on the trip and was one of the survivors. Amirul Izzuddin said they reached Genting Highlands at about 10am on Friday and boarded the bus at 6.30pm the same day. “Many of them were asleep when the accident occurred.”

 

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

Bus tragedy: Driver had no licence


Bus tragedy: Driver had no licence

The scene of the bus crash on Friday night​

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By M. KUMAR
The driver of the bus involved in an accident at Genting Sempah, in which seven people were killed and 39 others injured, did not have a driving licence. What is more shocking is that he had been driving without a licence for the past 13 years. His only claim to holding valid driving was only a 'L' (learner’s) that was blacklisted in 1997 by the Road Transport Department (JPJ). Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said Saturday that he was shocked and angry that the bus operator had employed such a driver.

The victims of the bus tragedy being laid to rest in a common grave​

"This driver must be charged in court and his employer must take full responsibility," he said. The minister has ordered JPJ to scrutinise the records of the driver and the bus operator and haul them to court. "A thorough probe must be carried out," Kong said adding that all bus operators should be held responsible for the conduct of their drivers.

Initial investigation showed that the bus belonged to a Kuala Lumpur-based charter bus operator although it was painted to look like a tour bus. Selangor Traffic and Public Order chief Supt Che Husin Omar said the driver had initially told police that he had lost his licence, but a check with JPJ showed that he did not have one.

The driver, identified by Bernama as S. Muthumani, 40, is currently receiving treatment for a broken leg at Hospital Kuala Lumpur. He has been remanded by police for four days and being investigated under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987, for reckless driving and causing death. The accident, which happened at 7.50pm on Friday, involved a tour group from the 4B Youth Movement, Kampung Siong, Kedah.

The group was on its way to Kuala Lumpur after spending the previous night in Genting Highlands when the accident occurred. Six of the seven were teenagers while 17 suffered serious injuries. Twenty-two others had minor injuries. Husin Hamid, 54, the father of Mohd Ridzuan, 17, who was among those killed, said those responsible for the accident must be dealt with by the authorities.

In Kedah, reported that the families of the seven victims who were killed in the accident claimed they felt cheated by the bus operator which provided a bus in poor condition. The remains of the victims were brought to the Muslim cemetery in Baling in seven hearses and buried in a common grave on Saturday.

 

[General Veers]

Genting bus tragedy: Driver says sorry


Genting bus tragedy: Driver says sorry

Published Oct 31 2010

Bus that was involved in the fatal accident at Genting Sempah

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The driver of the bus which skidded and overturned at Genting Sempah on Friday, killing seven and injuring 39 others, has apologised unreservedly to the families of the victims. S. Muthumani, 36, who is being warded in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital after suffering a broken leg and head injuries requiring 15 stitches, said: "I’m am very sorry." "When I realised the breaks weren’t working, I tried everything to stop the bus but couldn’t." "I tried to engage the gear but it too did not work because of the broken brake piping," he said.

S. Muthuman said the bus company knew that he did not have a valid driving licence but allowed him to continue working​

On the Road Transport Department (JPJ) confirmation on Saturday that he did not have a valid licence, Muthumani said he used to have one but the department suspended it because the driving school he attended was not a recognised one.

"I had no choice but to continue driving because I have no other job and have three schooling children and my wife is not working," he said. The driver said the bus company knew that he did not have a valid driving licence, but allowed him to continue working. "As there were no drivers, the company sought my help to drive the bus to Genting," he said.

The ill-fated bus with 44 people aged between 14 and 25 from several villages in Baling, Kedah, was on an excursion to Genting Highlands and Kampung Melayu Subang for a homestay programme. The group left Kedah at 11pm Thursday and arrived in Genting Highlands at 8am on Friday. The accident happened at about 7.50pm while the bus was on its way to Subang.

 

[diversifyx2]

Re: Genting bus tragedy: Driver says sorry

does that make any difference got licence no licence in mudland

 

[sloth93]

Re: Genting bus tragedy: Driver says sorry

whoa didnt know the crash was tat bad